Board member Ron Henry, who chairs the finance, administration and facilities committee, said the $16.5 million increase in general support will help the system offset the $51.5 million increase in pension, salary and health benefits costs it faces next year. It also is looking at a reduction in revenue from tuition and fees of $4.5 million as a result of a decline in student enrollment.

Along with the increase in state support, Henry said the system will look to an increase in tuition and cost-cutting in other areas to bring the system’s budget into balance.

The board also is planning to make a case to Gov. Tom Corbett and the General Assembly for a one-time injection of $18 million that would be targeted for universities to use to align academic programs to train workers for the state’s high-priority occupations.

A spokesman for Corbett said on Wednesday the request would be considered but the state faces an estimated $700 million gap between anticipated costs and projected revenues next year.

Students, faculty and system supporters have already begun lobbying lawmakers to back the funding request to avoid further cuts in programs, course offerings and positions even though funding decisions won't likely be made until late next spring.

If the increases are granted, it would be the first increase the 14 universities, which educate 112,000 students, have received an increase since 2010-11. Funding was cut by 18 percent in 2011-12 and has remained static since.

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